Opalesque Industry Update: The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) announced today that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which establishes an open channel of communication and lays the foundation for future collaborative efforts between the exchanges. Executives from both exchanges signed the MOU today at a ceremony in Beijing, China.

The MOU creates an avenue for sharing information and resources between the exchanges, including development of educational programs designed to build understanding of the exchanges’ respective products, markets, technologies and regulation. The agreement also creates the opportunity for potential future business initiatives, including joint marketing efforts and product development.

“We are pleased to enter into an agreement with CFFEX that formalizes our long-standing friendship and establishes a strategic alliance between our exchanges,” said CBOE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William J. Brodsky. “Options are important investment and risk management tools and will be an essential part of CFFEX’s product development efforts. We look forward to collaborating on initiatives that could benefit both exchanges and potentially expand the global reach of options.”

“We are excited to partner with CBOE in this endeavor. CBOE is the leading marketplace in the U.S. options industry and has considerable expertise and experience in operating derivatives markets,” said CCFEX Chief Executive Officer Zhu Yuchen. “As CFFEX continues building its marketplace and developing new financial products, the opportunity to learn from CBOE’s 40 years of options trading experience will prove invaluable to us.”